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or the stated policy of the World Health Organization, the Food
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The mention of specific companies or of certain manufacturers' products does not
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The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations with
primary responsibility for international health matters and public health. Through
this organization, which was created in 1948, the health professions of some 165
countries exchange their knowledge and experience with the aim of making possible
the attainment by all citizens of the world by the year 2000 of a level of health that
will permit them to lead a socially and economically productive life.

By means of direct technical cooperation with its Member States, and by stimulating
such cooperation among them, WHO promotes the development of comprehensive
health services, the prevention and control of diseases, the improvement of
environmental conditions, the development of health manpower, the coordination
and development of biomedical and health services research, and the planning and
implementation of health programmes.

These broad fields of endeavour encompass a wide variety of activities, such as
developing systems of primary health care that reach the whole population of Member
countries; promoting the health of mothers and children; combating malnutrition;
controlling malaria and other communicable diseases including tuberculosis and
leprosy; having achieved the eradication of smallpox, promoting mass immunization
against a number of other preventable diseases; improving mental health; providing
safe water supplies; and training health personnel of all categories.

Progress towards better health throughout the world also demands international
cooperation in such matters as establishing international standards for biological
substances, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals; formulating environmental health criteria;
recommending international nonproprietary names for drugs; administering
the International Health Regulations; revising the International Classification of
Diseases, Injuries, and Causes of Death; and collecting and disseminating health
statistical information.

Further information on many aspects of WHO's work is presented in the Organization's
publications.

The WHO Technical Report Series makes available the findings of various international
groups of experts that provide WHO with the latest scientific and technical
advice on a broad range of medical and public health subjects. Members of such
expert groups serve without remuneration in their personal capacities rather than as
representatives of governments or other bodies. An annual subscription to this series,
comprising 12 to 15 such reports, costs Sw. fr. 100.- (Sw. fr. 70.- in developing
countries).

Hyperlinks to non-FAO Internet sites do not imply any official endorsement of or responsibility for the opinions, ideas, data or products presented at these locations, or guarantee the validity of the information provided. The sole purpose of links to non-FAO sites is to indicate further information available on related topics.